


Hold Me Tight and Don't Let Go

by lululawrence



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, American AU, Bullying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Meetings, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Harry Styles is Marcel, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, mentions of abandonment, mostly mentions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-21 09:08:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13737642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululawrence/pseuds/lululawrence
Summary: Louis’ mind was whirling and a mess of information about application deadlines and talking to his mom about options he had for next year and the failed test and how she might react when he gave her the news. Louis was near his spot and he knew as soon as he got there he could let the tears and frustration flow, but when he turned the corner to his special space his whole body  froze.“Who’re you?” Louis bit out. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. That came out way more harsh than he was intending. “Sorry, I just-”Louis was interrupted by the boy, previously curled in a tiny ball and crying into his knees, stumbling to his feet, saying something Louis couldn’t understand, and wiping away at the tears. He straightened his glasses, grabbed his bookbag, mumbled something a second time, and then he literally ran off.Or the one where Louis is barely holding himself together when he meets Marcel and an unexpected friendship might be just what both of them need.





	Hold Me Tight and Don't Let Go

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FallingLikeThis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallingLikeThis/gifts).



> FallingLikeThis! I love your fics and was so excited to be able to write for you. I hope you like what I did with your prompt. It started as one thing and ended up somewhere different, but I'm quite pleased with how it ended up, so I hope you are too.
> 
> Thank you to my many support people! This fic wouldn't be here if not for all of you. Particular thanks go to [Emmu](http://londonfoginacup.tumblr.com) who let me brainstorm at her and then read it to tell me it wasn't shit when I felt like I was losing it and [Molly](http://becomeawendybird.tumblr.com) who was a wonderful beta as usual. You're both total gifts! Thank you as well to the mods of this exchange! I always need all the Marcel fics.
> 
> The title comes from More Than Friends by James Hype. Thank you for reading!

“Louis, you’re one of our top players. College scouts have been expressing interest in you since you were a sophomore. Are you sure you want to drop out of the team?”

Louis blinked furiously to hold back his tears and swallowed hard. He took a deep breath and nodded. 

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

Coach Meyers looked at Louis sadly, but at least made the effort to smile. “I get why you’re doing this, but look after yourself too, okay?”

Louis pursed his lips and looked at the ground, only nodding this time. He knew if he spoke again, his voice would crack and then it would all be over.

Coach let out a sigh and handed Louis a piece of paper. “Since you played in the first two matches of the season, you’re still invited to the awards ceremony and team dinner like always, okay?”

Louis couldn’t handle looking at whatever the paper said, so he shoved it into his bookbag where it would likely get pushed to the bottom and forgotten about for a few months. He was okay with that. Maybe he would feel up to reading it by then.

Louis finally met Coach Meyer’s eyes and gave him a wobbly smile in thanks before pulling the door open and practically running from his office. Louis continued down the hall past the gym and field house until it ended and the door dumped him outside of the school. 

Leaning forward and placing his hands on his knees, Louis’ chest heaved in an attempt to fill his lungs with enough air. Finally, tears began to make their way down his cheeks, and he stood up, hastily wiping them away with his hands. 

Attempting to steady his breathing, Louis turned and began to make his way around the school building to the section without any windows in a neglected corner that the world seemed to forget existed. Even the landscapers didn’t look to remember it was there. The grass was slightly overgrown and the bushes never seemed to be as nicely trimmed as the ones around the rest of the school. Louis didn’t mind. It was his place to get away whenever he needed to be alone.

It used to be that once or twice a year Louis would feel overwhelmed and he would visit the spot he had come to think of as his own. He would escape, skip a class or two until he felt more in control, and then he’d go back like nothing had happened. The routine had become comfortable and the spot had lent him strength in times when he didn’t feel like he had enough of his own.

Senior year had been nothing like the first three of high school, though. His parents had started fighting even more than they already had been, and finally right before Christmas and Louis’ eighteenth birthday, his dad moved out. 

They claimed they were only separating for a time, but Louis knew what it meant. He’d known it was coming for a few years. His sisters had clung to the hope that their father would be back, but Louis knew it was for good. The next day he’d gone out and gotten a job at the local movie theater. He hated it, he always smelled like stale popcorn and felt greasy like the butter congealed all over him, but it allowed him to help his mom with the bills that suddenly needed to be paid by her alone.

In the end, Louis was glad he had the job. Just as he suspected, early April had his mom sitting all the kids down to let them know she and their dad had filed for divorce. The girls took it harder than Louis, mostly because they had hoped it wouldn’t end like this. 

Between his sisters needing more attention than ever and their mom working as many hours as she could, a bulk of the responsibilities at home were now falling to Louis. He was hardly keeping up with his homework while working and helping so much at home, so he knew something had to give. Unfortunately, that something was soccer.

He’d always dreamed of going to the University of North Carolina and playing soccer, he’d even made sure he qualified for an academic scholarship in case he wasn’t awarded one of the coveted sports scholarships, but now he’d quit the team and he wasn’t sure he could leave his family to go to school somewhere so far away. His sisters had already lost their dad, he didn’t want them losing their brother too.

“Shit,” Louis said with a sigh as he sat down in the long grass. He opened the small side pocket and pulled out his contraband pack of cigarettes and lighter. 

He rarely smoked, always worried about how it would affect his running, but now that he didn’t have to worry about that anymore, he was going to take advantage it. His nerves were shot and if he didn’t want to have to miss the rest of the day’s worth of classes, he needed to calm himself down and get back inside.

Louis lit the cigarette, carefully replaced the pack and lighter to the pocket, and then let his head fall back as he filled his lungs with the burning sensation of cheap tobacco. 

UNC was out, but Louis had to go to college. People could hardly get entry level positions anymore without a college education. If he had any hope of not coming home feeling like he was a grease bucket every day, he was going to have to get a degree somehow. 

Maybe he could take a semester or a full year off and just save money, help out around the house, then he could attend a community college after. Louis allowed the possibilities to swirl through his head at an ever slowing pace, imagining them to look like the smoke that was weaving its way through his system.

The cigarette burned down nearly to the filter, and Louis stubbed it out against the brick wall beside him. One was enough. For now, anyway. Louis no longer felt near tears or like he was hyperventilating, so he heaved himself up and shouldered his bookbag. 

Time to get back to class.

 

///

 

Louis stormed through the halls, doing his best not to actually shoulder people out of the way, but for the second day in a row he was fighting the tears at school and he was over it. 

It felt like the test in the pocket of his jeans was burning through the fabric, like its folded edges were slowly scorching him and doing their best to leave a mark. He just needed to get out of the building and to his spot so he could sit in the quiet as he tried to process what this meant.

He’d failed a test. Not just a test, but his midterm. The one that was about a third of his grade in a class required for graduation. Ms. Chase had offered Louis some options in the margins, ways he could try to make up the lost points. Many of them required extra time spent over the weekends, though, and that was when he was usually working or taking care of his sisters. He would have to see if he could carve out some time for that, but shit. Louis was going to have to do the math to see if he could come back from this without the extra help because he wasn’t sure he could take even more work than he already had.

Louis’ mind was whirling and a mess of information about application deadlines and talking to his mom about options he had for next year and the failed test and how she might react when he gave her the news. Louis was near his spot and he knew as soon as he got there he could let the tears and frustration flow, but when he turned the corner to his special space his whole body  froze.

“Who’re you?” Louis bit out. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. That came out way more harsh than he was intending. “Sorry, I just-”

Louis was interrupted by the boy, previously curled in a tiny ball and crying into his knees, stumbling to his feet, saying something Louis couldn’t understand, and wiping away at the tears. He straightened his glasses, grabbed his bookbag, mumbled something a second time, and then he literally ran off. 

“God dammit!” Louis shouted at the wall, kicking at a stone hard enough that it bounced off the bricks. He covered his eyes with his hands and tried to hold back the tears that came back with even more force he wasn’t anticipating. 

Louis did his best to always be kind to people. It was one of the first things he remembered his mom ever teaching him, and he tried to live up to her standards in every way. Now, he had just hurt someone who needed his spot as badly as he did, if the tears were any indication. Louis couldn’t stop fucking everything up, and wasn’t that just grand? No matter what he tried to do, somehow it found a way to go wrong.

Louis sat down and pulled out his cigarettes again. First order of business, look through his test and figure out the grade it pulled him down to. If he worked extra hard the rest of the semester, hopefully he would be able to pull his final grade up to at least a C. Second order of business, figure out who the kid was. He was dressed a bit like the nerds Louis remembered from his mom’s favorite movies from the 80s and 90s, so he shouldn’t be too hard to find. Once Louis tracked him down, he would apologize.

Before anything else, though, Louis needed to stop crying. Again.

 

///

 

Louis heard the garage door go up and knew his mom had finally gotten home from her sixteen hour shift at the hospital. He finished wiping down the counter one last time, hoping a spotless kitchen and all the girls having gone to bed after each having a bath would soften her up for the conversation they were about to have.

Louis rinsed off the cloth and hung it to dry right as his mom came into the house. Her hair was up in a messy bun, her scrubs a bit lopsided beneath the sweater she was wearing.

“Hey, darling,” Jay said, dropping her keys in the bowl by the door and coming over to give Louis a kiss on the side of his head. “The kitchen looks great. Thank you for cleaning. Everything go alright tonight?”

“Yeah,” Louis said, nerves making him feel a bit sick to his stomach. “How was your day?”

“Busy, but great. Thanks for asking, honey.” Jay smiled at Louis before looking back down to sort through the mail. “What did you do for dinner?”

“Lottie helped me make shepherd’s pie before everyone took a bath and got to bed.”

Jay looked up at Louis, eyebrows arched in surprise. She fully looked at him for the first time since she’d walked in, and Loui could practically feel her eyes look him over fully. She set the mail back down on the counter before she placed a hand on her hip and gave him her full on mom gaze.

“Is this serious enough we need to go to the den, or are you okay talking about it here?”

Louis winced a little before rolling his eyes in an attempt to keep his tears from rising to the surface again already. God, when had he become such a cry baby?

“Uh, the den might be best.”

Jay gave a nod before walking over to Louis and wrapping her arm around his shoulders. She silently guided the way to the den, and Louis was grateful for her touch. Already it made him feel a little better about telling her everything he was about to.

Once they’d sat down on the couch, Jay turned so she was sitting with her legs pulled up in front of her and Louis mirrored her position. 

“Alright, darling. What’s going on with you? Is everything okay?”

Louis pursed his lips and shook his head. 

“I quit soccer and turned down my acceptance to UNC.” 

Jay’s jaw dropped and she was obviously about to say something, but Louis knew if he didn’t say everything now, he wouldn’t get it all out. Tears were dripping off his chin onto his shirt, but after a quick swipe and shaking his head at his mom, Louis kept going.

“I’m working on applications to a couple community colleges in the area instead, but I don’t think any of them will let me start in fall. It’s too late for that, so I’m thinking of just taking a year off and then starting college. I failed my government midterm and don’t know when I’m going to have time to make up for those lost points, and I scared a kid who I think might have somehow been having a worse day than me and I  _ think  _ his name is Marcel, but I don’t know for sure and I’m not positive how to fix that or say I’m sorry.”

Louis took a deep breath and blew it out, the weight on his shoulders already feeling a little bit lighter having told his mom what was bothering him. She gave him a smile and reached out to squeeze his arm.

“Okay, can I ask some questions now?”

Louis rolled his eyes. “Yeah.”

For the next hour or so, Jay asked question after question about Louis’ decisions and why he had done what he’d done. He answered as truthfully as he could, never able to keep anything from his mom. By the end he felt better knowing she supported him in his choices, even if she didn’t agree. It didn’t fix everything, he still had no idea how he was going to work getting his grade up for government, but he could talk to Ms. Chase about that next week.

“Okay, lastly, what was this about the other boy?”

“Oh God. Mom, I feel so bad!” Louis threw himself back onto the couch. He’d been riddled with guilt ever since he had unintentionally snapped at the boy. “He was in my secret spot, the one that obviously isn’t much of a secret but is almost always empty, and I’d just found out about my test and I snapped. By the time I was trying to apologize he had run away.”

Louis lifted his head and saw his mom giving him a knowing look.

“Just say it.”

Jay laughed and said, “It sounds like you already started trying to apologize past the moment, is that right?”

Louis shrugged. “I mean, he was dressed a little differently. Kinda reminded me of the nerds in  _ Freaks and Geeks,  _ actually. Pleated khakis, a sweater vest. He had his hair gelled with a part and thick glasses and everything, you know?” Jay nodded, so Louis kept going. “So anyway, I know he’s not in my class, so I started asking some of the kids from soccer who are in lower grades if they knew who I was talking about and I think his name is Marcel. I just don’t know what to do once I find him, though.”

“Saying sorry once more can never hurt,” Jay suggested.

“Yeah, well that was my first thought too,” Louis said, a bit of snark lacing his tone. “But it looked like he was already having a bad day. He was crying, and then I came and barged in on him like I did. I feel like I need to do something more than just apologize.”

His mom scooted over and held open her arms. Louis sat back up again and curled into her embrace. No one gave better, more healing hugs than his mom. 

“Keep thinking on it, honey. I know you’ll think of something and do the right thing.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Louis mumbled into her shirt. 

“Of course. Now, it’s nearly midnight. Is your homework done?” Louis nodded his head and his mom stood up. “Let’s get you to bed, hm?”

 

///

 

Louis kept on the lookout for the boy who may or may not be called Marcel, but he didn’t run into him for over a week. He was starting to wonder if he’d imagined the entire thing. 

One day a couple of weeks after Louis had met Maybe Marcel, he was already feeling the nerves and overwhelming pressure of life crowding in on his thoughts by third period. As soon as choir was over, he made his way outside to sneak a smoke. At least his journalism course was one he didn’t have any chance of failing.

Louis had pulled out a cigarette and was trying to light it when he realized Marcel was back.

“Oh, hey!” Louis said as clearly as he could while his lips held his cigarette.

Marcel’s head whipped up and, eyes still puffy, he once again scrambled to stand up.

Louis was determined to apologize and let him know he was welcome, so he called, “No, no!” before taking the cigarette from his mouth and holding his hands out. “I feel so bad about last time, man. You can totally stay as long as you don’t judge me for smoking and possibly crying.”

Marcel’s eyes were wide, made to look even larger by his glasses, but he tentatively set his bookbag back down. His shoulders were a rigid line, even as he settled back into the grass, knees clasped tightly to his chest.

“So is your name really Marcel or have people been lying to me?”

Marcel eyed Louis, still looking skittish. “Yeah, I’m Marcel.”

Louis raised his eyebrows as he let out his initial puff of smoke. He wasn’t sure why, but Louis hadn’t expected Marcel’s voice to be that deep. It cracked a little, like it was still changing or maybe just rough from the tears, but it was deep enough to make his skin tingle a little. 

“Hey, man. I’m Louis.” 

Marcel nodded and mumbled an, “I know.”

Louis smiled, a little confused, but didn’t ask. “So what brings you here? I’ve been having a pretty horrible run of rotten days and this was always kind of a sanctuary for me.”

Marcel’s eyes widened again, and he started nervously smoothing his gelled down hair, despite the fact Louis wasn’t sure it would move even if he hit it with a bat. 

“I’m so sorry to come when it is your place,” Marcel said. “I was just trying to get away from some guys from my Phys Ed class a few months ago and I liked it here and I didn’t know it was yours.”

Louis snorted before flicking some ash off the end of his cigarette. He was feeling warmer and more relaxed already, but he wasn’t sure if it was more to do with Marcel or the cigarette. Maybe it was a combination of both. 

“It’s not mine, even if I do like to think of it like that. I’m more than willing to share, though.”

Marcel gave a soft smile, and they spent the rest of the period in silence, watching the wind cause the new leaves on the trees to sway.

It was the best Louis had felt in ages.

 

///

 

It became almost a routine for them, after that. It turned out they both had fifth period lunch, so instead of skipping classes, they would bring their lunches out to their spot and enjoy their food together. It was nice for Louis to have a time that was quieter, a bit more simple and straight-forward than the rest of his day, and to be able to rely on it.

It was also nice because Marcel was amazing. He had the most ridiculous sense of humor and made more math jokes than Louis even realized could be made, but he also never demanded anything from Louis that Louis wasn’t willing to give. So often Louis felt like the people he was with needed something from him, and he was tired. He loved giving of himself, but he rarely felt like people were willing or able to reciprocate. He helped his mom around the house and with the kids, but she was trying to hold together a family in the midst of a divorce that was already emotionally difficult. His sisters were young enough to know what was going on, but not fully realize everything Louis was doing for them, so of course they probably didn’t even realize Louis was hoping for a thank you or a hug.

Marcel was different. He could always make Louis feel lighter simply by smiling.

The weather got warmer, and April turned to May. Louis only had a month left of high school, and he was finally feeling confident that if he could score well on his government final, he would still be able to walk at graduation. 

One Thursday Louis had just learned he’d aced his Spanish exam and was happily walking to their spot when he turned the corner and found Marcel in a similar position to the first time he’d seen him.

“Marce, hey. What’s wrong?” Louis asked, rushing over to the boy that had quickly become his best friend. 

“Sorry,” Marcel said, repeatedly. He looked to be having a hard time breathing and tears were streaming down his cheeks. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” 

“No, it’s okay,” Louis said quickly, dropping his lunch and bookbag so he could wrap his arms around Marcel. They’d never really touched, much less hugged, but he hoped Marcel didn’t mind Louis’ instinct to physically comfort him. “It’s alright. Don’t have to worry with me, okay?”

Marcel nodded and continued to wheeze a little. Louis’ rocking motions seemed to help Marcel something steady to pace his breathing with, and finally he calmed down. Louis was glad; he was starting to worry that Marcel wouldn’t get his breath back and he’d have to get help.

Once Marcel had pulled himself together enough to wipe his eyes, he pulled back from Louis a little and leaned his head back against the brick wall, knees still pulled to his chest, but his entire body looked far more relaxed than it had even five minutes ago.

Louis studied him, worried about what had caused such a reaction.

“Marce, what happened?” Louis asked softly, afraid that even the question might spook him. 

Marcel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Just more of the same, really.”

Louis didn’t know what Marcel was referencing. They talked every day and even had started texting each other outside of school a week or so ago, but it was never about what had brought them together at what was now  _ their _ special place. Maybe it was time to finally talk about it.

“What exactly is the same?”

Marcel opened his eyes and picked at imaginary lint on his khakis. He must have at least twenty pairs of the exact same pants, because Louis had yet to find a noticable difference between them other than there was one pair that had an ink stain near Marcel’s left knee.

“There’s just a group of guys that aren’t all that nice, is all. You know, typical high school stuff.”

Louis narrowed his eyes at Marcel, but he waited to speak until Marcel looked up at him. “Marcel, are you telling me you’re being bullied?”

Marcel licked his lips and Louis could practically see his walls starting to go back up again. It was plain in the way he was holding himself and how he couldn’t keep eye contact for more than a few seconds at a time. It was the same protective stance he’d had the first week or so they met up at their special spot. Louis hadn’t been working for almost a month at those walls to have them go back up as soon as he started asking tough questions.

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s just me, right?” Louis reassured him, reaching out a hand to gentle touch Marcel’s shoulder. Marcel jumped a bit, but Louis could also see him trying to force himself to relax. “I hope you feel like you can trust me with this kind of thing,” Louis added softly.

Marcel turned to look at him, but he was biting his lip, eyes unsure. “I know.”

Louis gave an encouraging smile, and Marcel turned to look at his knees again. 

“I don’t know if I would call what they do to me bullying, but it isn’t nice,” Marcel said. “They just make fun of my clothes, ask stupid questions about my glasses. It doesn’t usually bother me, it’s nothing new, but sometimes they say different things.”

Louis was kind of glad Marcel wasn’t looking at him, because he was already getting angry and was sure Marcel would be able to read it clearly on his face. “What kinds of different things?”

Marcel shrugged his shoulders a little, like Louis was going to let him get away with leaving it there.

“Marce. What did they say today?”

“I uhm,” Marcel shifted a little and took a breath before asking, “Did you know I live with my grandparents?” 

He had gone so quiet that the lawnmowers in the distance were making it hard for Louis to hear, so he leaned forward to ensure he didn’t miss anything. They usually didn’t sit this close, but Louis didn’t mind. He found the warmth that Marcel’s body was radiating felt soothing and calm.

“No, I didn’t know that,” Louis said quietly.

Marcel nodded. “My grandma won’t ever talk about it really, she gets too sad, but sometimes my grandpa will. My mom, she couldn’t handle it, I guess. Kids.” Marcel huffed a laugh that held no amusement before he clarified, “Me.”

Louis nodded, showing he was listening. 

“But, uh, some of the guys who usually pick on me?” Marcel swallowed hard, looking a little sick over what he was about to say. “They claim their parents knew her when they were younger. Makes sense, she grew up here just like I am. Anyway, they call my mom all sorts of names and talk about why she might have left me. Not wanted me.”

Louis was warring between seeing red and wanting to cry, but he did his best to keep himself together, showing Marcel he was calm. “Marce. Have you ever told anyone about the kinds of things they say to you?”

Marcel snapped his head to look at Louis, shaking his head fervently. “No, not anyone. You won’t tell anyone either, will you, Lou? Promise me? I can’t imagine what they’d say if they found out I told on them like some kindergartener.”

Louis sighed in frustration, turning to look across the marching band’s practice field to the trees that lined the railroad tracks in the distance. “Marcel, this is not something they should be able to get away with. This is personal and cruel and they shouldn’t be treating anyone, especially you, like this.”

Louis turned to look at Marcel, who looked on the verge of tears again. “Please. Don’t, Louis. Maybe later, but I just...please don’t.”

Only then did Louis realize Marcel was gripping Louis’ right hand in both of his. Marcel’s hands were large and incredibly soft, and Louis wondered at how natural it felt to have his hand encased by Marcel’s. Marcel had never reached out to Louis at all, though Louis had touched his shoulder or elbow before. Now, Marcel had not only been the one to reach out and touch Louis, but he was gripping Louis’ hand with a strength Louis didn’t realize he possessed.

Louis shook his head and felt a pit forming in his stomach. “I really don’t like this, Marce. I feel like someone needs to know the kinds of things they’re saying to you.” A thought hit Louis, then, and fear grew within him. He looked at Marcel’s eyes intensely and asked, “They don’t touch you, do they?”

Marcel shook his head. “No. They’ve never even tripped me or anything. Just use their words.”

Louis nodded. “Okay, well. I won’t say anything, but only on one condition.”

Marcel looked at Louis warily before saying, “What’s that?”

“You let me walk you to each class in an attempt to keep them from you.”

Marcel’s eyes sparked with something that looked like amusement or maybe frustration. “I’m not a baby, Louis. And besides, what good do you think it’ll do? You graduate in like a month and then I’ve got two more years of high school without you.”

Louis turned his hand so he could hold onto Marcel’s as well. He didn’t know if today would change anything, or what it could possibly mean, but Louis did know he didn’t want to let go.

“I know, okay? I know, but I want to try to help somehow.”

Marcel’s green eyes were back to the bright green they were when he was feeling feisty, and Louis was grateful. 

“Fine, but if I hear you’re getting to class late, then you’re going to stop.”

Louis smiled brightly. “Promise. I won’t be late for class.”

 

///

 

It was Friday. It was Friday, Louis had worked until past eleven the night before and then stayed up until three working on a paper that was due today, and now here he was four hours later rushing around his room making sure he didn’t forget anything he needed to have for school.

The weekend really couldn’t come soon enough.

Louis had just patted his jeans to make sure he had his phone and wallet when his phone began to ring.

Louis immediately quieted his phone. He didn’t want to wake up the twins, so he quickly pulled the phone out of his pocket and rushed downstairs to the kitchen.

“Hello?” Louis wasn’t whispering, but he was talking quietly still. Lottie was awake and in the shower, but no one else had gotten up yet and Louis regarded his time alone as precious.

“Hey, Lou?” Marcel’s voice rumbled down the line, and Louis couldn’t even help the shivers that erupted over his skin. Every time. Louis wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to that. “Sorry I’m calling so early.”

“Hey, Marce. It’s alright.” Louis smiled to himself. Any of Louis’ other friends call him at some God awful time of the morning and they start yelling. Marcel apologizing was so sweet and just like him. “What’s up?”

“I uhm,” Marcel stumbled over his words a little, showing just how nervous he was. “I know you drive yourself to school, and it’s totally okay if you can’t or whatever, because I know I’m completely out of the way for you, but like I kinda missed the bus and my grandpa is sick and I don’t have a license yet and-”

Louis cut off Marcel’s rambling and asked, “Do you need a ride?”

Marcel let out a puff of breath that made it sound like he was standing in the middle of a windstorm. 

“If you don’t mind.”

“Sure thing.” Louis took a quick drink straight from the faucet before standing up and wiping his mouth. “Wanna text me your address? I’m grabbing a banana and then I’ll be on my way.”

“Thank you so much. I really am so sorry.”

“Dude, it’s alright. I’ll see you soon.”

 

///

 

Louis pulled up to the third house he stopped at every morning on his way to school and beeped the horn. Turning around to look at James and Logan in the backseat, Louis motioned for them to scoot together.

“Whatcha doin’?” Jamie asked.

“Scoot closer to Logan,” Louis instructed before turning back around to watch for his friend. “Travis has to get in the back with you two cause we’re getting one more person before going to school.”

“Who else are we getting?” Logan asked as he moved his bookbag to his lap. “We’re gonna end up picking up half the soccer team for school every day at this rate.”

“I’m no longer on the team in case you forgot,” Louis said as he pointed at the back door so Travis would know to join the others in the back. “And our last passenger isn’t on the team either.”

The three seniors in the backseat of a shitty old Honda Civic was a bit of a tight squeeze, but they were able to manage it. There was no way Louis was going to force Marcel back there with those guys, though.

The guys started talking about the match they were playing that night and Louis drove to the next street over where Marcel lived.

“Dude, isn’t this where that nerd lives?” Travis asked. “I used to have to ride the bus with him in elementary.”

“Oh yeah! What’s his name? Marvin? Marcus?” Logan started rattling off every name he could think of that started with M. He stopped talking as soon as Marcel walked out of his house, hair gelled to perfection and usual khaki pants in place.

“Hey, Marcel,” Louis said with a smile once Marcel opened the door to the car.

“Oh, hey, Louis. Hey...guys,” Marcel said, obviously uncomfortable. “Sorry, I didn’t know you had a carload already or I wouldn’t have asked…”

“It’s totally okay,” Louis assured before looking over his shoulder at his suddenly mute friends. “Isn’t it guys?”

The three of them all started stumbling over themselves to assure Marcel it was no problem and once they all had their seatbelts buckled, Louis started heading to the school.

“So, how did you two become friends?” James asked. “You can call me Jamie, by the way.”

“Hey, Jamie,” Marcel said with a small smile. He peeked at Louis, but Louis did his best to remain focused on the road. “Uh, we just...well, we ran into each other one day and…”

“I was skipping class for a smoke break and I ran into Marcel. And then we just...kept meeting up for lunch,” Louis finally answered. Poor Marcel didn’t seem to know how to handle himself around these guys. It was alright, if Louis had his way, Marcel would be a regular part of their friend group in no time.

“Ohhhh, Niall was wondering where you’d gotten off to,” Travis said with a laugh. 

“Niall was wondering, not any of the rest of you? Well it’s good to know who really loves me,” Louis said with a laugh. “You just use me for my car.”

“Shut up,” Logan said, reaching forward to mess with Louis’ hair as Louis pulled into the school parking lot. “He was seriously worried and coming up with all kinds of shit. Thought you’d been abducted or something since you dropped the team and then stopped showing up for lunch all at the same time.”

“I hope you convinced him I was not some alien version of myself,” Louis said, parking and taking out the keys. The noise began ramping up a little more, but Louis couldn’t stop thinking about Niall worrying about him. “Poor Ni. I should have texted him or something.”

“I can talk to him,” Marcel offered. 

Louis hadn’t even realized he’d heard what Louis had said over the noise the other guys were making in the back seat. Louis turned to look at him, and his green eyes were shining in sincerity. 

“I’ve got first period Chemistry with him and we’re lab partners,” Marcel said with a shrug. “He’s nice. I think he’d listen to me.”

Louis gave a soft smile and reached out to squeeze Marcel’s shoulder. “Thanks. That would be nice of you.”

They got out of the car and followed the rest of the flow of students all walking to the school.

“You ready for me to start my escort services?” Louis asked. 

Marcel sighed and stopped in front of a locker. It had a puke emoji stuck to it, but Marcel just took it down and crumpled it up before sticking it into his pocket, acting like it was no big deal.

“Does stuff like that happen with your locker too?”

Marcel focused on emptying the contents of his bookbag and getting what he needed shoved back in before answering.

“It doesn’t happen all the time, but it does happen.”

Louis rolled his eyes. “Shut up, that means nothing. You’re purposefully not answering my questions.”

“Fine. Yes, it happens at least a couple times a week. The emoji was quite tame, actually.”

“Marce, this isn’t okay. We can’t just let this keep happening.”

Marcel began to pout and Louis couldn’t have that. He hated feeling like he was making Marcel feel bad. 

“God, okay. Sorry. Pretend I didn’t say anything.”

“Thank you,” Marcel said with a huff. He zipped up his bookbag and then closed his locker and turned to Louis. “We going to your locker first or what?”

“Yeah, I’m just around the corner.” Louis started walking and listened to Marcel talking about a podcast he’d listened to the night before. He always found the most obscure topics for them, and Louis loved hearing what he’d learned from them. Louis did notice, though, that there were groups of students paying attention to them walking together, and he couldn’t figure out what the deal was.

“And did you know that flamethrowers are actually legal as long as they don’t throw flames further than like ten feet?”

That made Louis stop paying attention to the people in the hallway and turn to Marcel. “Wait, are you serious?”

Marcel nodded his head in excitement. “Yeah, isn’t that insane? Imagine the damage people could do with that!”

Louis laughed and finished the walk to his locker as Marcel continued to chatter about the podcast. Marcel was so fun and different from the rest of the guys Louis usually hung out with. They all had their own interests, of course, but none of them were as willing to talk about them with the same level of excitement as Marcel. It was like Marcel physically could not contain himself when he learned something he found interesting. 

Once Louis was ready for the first group of classes, he turned to Marcel who turned and began walking towards his Chemistry classroom, not stopping longer than it took him to breathe as he continued listing random facts.

He got quiet when he slowed in front of Mr. Griebel’s classroom and looked at Louis. Louis felt his cheeks burn a little from the constant smile he’d been wearing since he’d picked up Marcel from his house. They were certainly getting a workout.

“Thanks again, Louis. For the ride and for walking me to class.”

Louis nodded and began to back away so he could rush to his own first period class. “Not a problem. See ya in a bit!”

Louis turned around and started walking to Spanish when he was pulled aside by a burly guy named Matt. Or maybe it was Mike, Louis could never remember. Mostly because the guy was a douche, and Louis didn’t bother to take the time to even learn his name.

“What are you doing walking with that kid?” Matt/Mike asked. “He’s just some annoying dork that’s not worth your time.”

Louis looked over Matt/Mike with disgust. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Louis asked pulling his arm out of the guy’s meaty grasp. “Just because he dresses a little different and cares about his grades doesn’t mean he’s worth less than anyone else, Mike.”

“It’s Mark,” Matt/Mike corrected.

“Don’t care,” Louis said. “Why does it matter to you who I spend my time with anyway? You hardly even know me.”

Matt/Mike shrugged and didn’t offer any other excuse.  

Louis rolled his eyes. “If you’re part of the group of people that goes after Marcel, I’m telling you now to stop it. Alright?” 

Matt/Mike looked at Louis in confusion, before shrugging his shoulders and walking away. “Whatever, man.”

Louis huffed and the warning bell sounded. Shit, his first time walking Marcel to class and he was going to be late. The one thing Louis had promised him was that he wouldn’t, so he raced to the stairs and up to Spanish. 

 

///

 

“Is there a certain time of day that these guys usually come and talk to you?” Louis asked at lunch that day. “I mean, I know today is the first full day I’ve been walking you around to class, but I didn’t know if it threw them off or what.”

Marcel shrugged as he kept chewing his sandwich. “I mean, usually they’re around most in the morning, like around second or third period? I think my classes are nearest to theirs at that time or something. But sometimes they’ll find me in the afternoon, too.”

Louis nodded. “Is that big dude, you know the dickhead from the football team, Matt or whatever, is he one of the ones who comes after you?”

Marcel slowed his chewing and looked down at his knees. He reached for the cardigan he was wearing and made sure all the buttons were done up before he slowly said, “Yeah, he’s one of them. And I think his name is Mark.”

Louis pursed his lips and forced himself to take another bite of his own sandwich instead of saying anything. They stayed quiet until their sandwiches were finished and as Marcel pulled out his package of celery sticks, Louis got his cigarettes out.

“How would you feel about coming in and sitting with the guys during lunch, Marce?”

Marcel’s eyes rounded and he looked at Louis in surprise. “Are, uhm. Are you sure? Would they be okay with that? I mean, you sit with a lot of the popular guys and stuff, right?”

Louis laughed. “I dunno that we’re popular or whatever, but you met some of them this morning. And you know Niall who sits with us too. It can’t be that bad, right?”

Marcel nodded slowly as he chewed on his rabbit food. Louis shivered. He hated celery. 

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. We can keep coming out here if you need.”

Marcel shook his head and gave Louis a little smile. “I think I’d like that, actually.”

Louis smiled back and leaned over so their shoulders bumped each other lightly. “Cool. We can do that on Monday, then.”

 

///

 

A week later, Louis stirred the macaroni and cheese until the cheese powder wasn’t lumpy anymore then moved to get the bowls down from the cabinets.

“Girls!” he yelled, hoping all of them could hear him wherever they were around the house. “Dinner’s ready!”

He began to scoop equal amounts of the orange mess into the bowls and as the girls thundered into the kitchen they each grabbed one. Louis was just scooping the last bowl when suddenly the garage door opened and the girls all screamed.

“Mommy! You’re home!” Phoebe cried as she went barreling across the kitchen and into Jay’s arms.

Jay gave all the girls kisses and lovingly nudged them back to the kitchen table. 

Louis looked at her in confusion. 

“Amy sent me home,” she said with a smile. “Told me to enjoy the weekend, so now I’m passing that on to you. This is the one night you aren’t working this weekend, so go and enjoy it with your friends.”

Jay kissed him on the cheek and handed him her debit card.

“Trust me with this?” he teased. They both knew he wouldn’t spend more than he needed.

“Go on. Run upstairs and text your friends then get out and live like an actual teenager for once, will you?”

Louis laughed and ran upstairs to change out of his comfortable sweatpants. If he was going out and doing something then he might as well look good. 

He had just stripped off his shirt when he paused. All his friends were on the soccer team and the team was away for the weekend. For the first time in months Louis had a night available to do whatever he wanted and all of them were gone. All of them except one, that was.

Louis rushed over to his nightstand and picked up his phone from where it was charging. He’d forgotten he was in the middle of a conversation with Marcel when his phone had died earlier. 

_ Marcel: Nah, just planning on listening to some more podcasts or watching something on Netflix. _

Louis sent a message apologizing for not answering earlier and asked if he wanted to catch a movie or something. While he waited for a response, he went ahead and changed his clothes. Marcel still hadn’t responded, but Louis hoped he’d be up for it if he didn’t have anything planned. Either way, Louis was getting out of the house, so he kissed his mom on the cheek and rushed out the door to his car.

The drive to Marcel’s house had quickly become routine as he had been added as a permanent member of the morning carpool. Marcel was still quiet around the others, but he was his usual self around Louis and Niall at least and none of the other guys in Louis’ group treated him poorly. Louis was also happy to see that the comments made to Marcel in the halls had stopped since Louis had started walking with him between classes. He hoped it would continue and if it did, Marcel might convince him to cut down how much he did it.

Once Louis parked in front of Marcel’s house, he hopped out and walked up to the door. He knocked and waited for the door to be answered. The house was modest and obviously well cared for. The flowers in the front garden were beautiful and Louis had just leaned over to play with some blooming snapdragons when the door opened.

“Hello?”

Louis stood up and saw a short, white haired woman looking at him in confusion.

“Oh, sorry. Hi there. I’m Louis, a friend of Marcel’s. Is he here?”

The woman’s face brightened as she smiled. “You’re a friend of Marcel’s? Oh how lovely. Come on in.”

Louis stepped inside and felt like he’d just walked into his grandma’s house. It was lovely and filled with dark wood and antiques. 

“Marcel is upstairs listening to some music. You can go on up, dear. His is the door on the left.”

Louis thanked her and made his way up the stairs, smiling at all of the photos that hung on the walls of Marcel growing up. They were interspersed with photos of a young woman that had to be his mother, but photos of her seemed to stop when she was around Louis’ age. 

Louis got distracted at that point by the sound of what had to be Marcel singing along to  _ Rumour Has It _ by Adele. His door was cracked open, so when Louis knocked, it opened wider and gave him the perfect view of Marcel, still in his khakis and button down shirt from school, trying to shake his hips as he sang along with the track.

Louis leaned against the door frame as Marcel began to move his shoulders at a rhythm that did not match the song before really belting out the chorus. His small little butt was shaking at random, his legs were everywhere, and Louis had never been happier to be anywhere else in his life. Marcel was so completely relaxed and comfortable as he sang and danced and Louis couldn’t help but join in. 

“Now rumour has it she ain’t got your love anymore,” Louis sang. 

When his voice joined Marcel’s, Marcel visibly jumped and spun around, horrified until Louis began dancing as ridiculously as he possibly could. Louis also sang along more and more poorly with the repeated “Rumour has it”, and soon enough Marcel was laughing so hard Louis worried he wouldn’t be able to breathe. 

When the song ended, Marcel went over to his CD player and turned it off. 

“Louis, you scared me so bad!” Marcel said, chest still heaving as he sucked in deep breaths. “What are you doing here?”

Louis clapped his hands together and smiled widely. “How do you like the idea of seeing a movie tonight?”

Marcel blushed a little as he looked at the floor. “Oh, that would be fun, but uhm, I don’t think…”

Louis raised his brows and said, “I work at the theater, Marce. I can get us in for free. Besides, I know you haven’t seen  _ Letters to Juliet _ yet.”

Marcel had been talking about his excitement over the movie for weeks. Louis knew he wouldn’t be able to say no.

“You’d see that? I thought you weren’t interested.” Marcel bit his lip in suspense and Louis couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“I have a free night and want to spend it with you. I’ll see  _ anything _ if it means my sisters are at home and I’m not, okay?”

Marcel smiled wide enough his dimples showed up, and Louis knew he’d won.

 

///

 

That Friday night solidified the friendship that had slowly been growing between Louis and Marcel. They now texted more often than not and Louis legitimately looked forward to walking Marcel to his classes because that meant they had more time to chat.

It was already Friday again and Louis was walking Marcel from his Honors English class to Spanish as Marcel talked about a new attendee at the con their town held every year. It was apparently an actor who was hugely popular in some circles, but Louis didn’t have a clue who they were. He also didn’t really care, because Marcel was so excited he was letting his glasses fall down his nose a little so he could wave his arms around for longer.

Louis looked to his left to wave at Zayn and a couple of other guys from the soccer team before turning the corner in the hall when Marcel’s voice stopped with a squeak in the middle of a rant about Deep Space Nine. Louis stopped in his tracks and turned and saw Marcel standing, shoulders hunched and head hanging, as four guys surrounded him.

Louis immediately walked back towards Marcel, but one of the guys broke formation to keep Louis from getting too close.

“Dude,” Louis said, shoving the bulky guy as hard as he could. The only time Louis ever had an issue with his size was when he was up against assholes like these guys. He barely moved. “Come on, what’s going on? Just let him go.”

Louis was about to keep spouting excuses and start around the circle in an attempt to get to Marcel another way, when something one of the other guys said made his blood begin to boil in rage.

“Your mom was a whore who never wanted you. She was a fucking slut and, even if she  _ did _ change her mind and came back for you, she’d take one look at you and run the other way, screaming.”

Louis had never understood the phrase “out of body experience.” He’d always thought people were exaggerating or the drugs were causing a really strange side effect. Now, though, he understood.

It felt like he was floating or watching from somewhere else as he wound his arm back and punched the massive dude who had spewed the vitriol that had just been aimed at Marcel. The punch landed just to the left of the guy’s nose with enough force that there was a crack and Louis hoped it was a break of some kind. 

Of course, Louis also was brought back to his own self when the immediate pain of punching with incorrect form radiated from his fist. He also felt hands on him, lifting him from the ground, as he began kicking and yelling whatever he could possibly think to say, all while yelling at Marcel to get out of there. 

He didn’t, though. Marcel stood there, white as a sheet, and watched as the guys began to take turns punching Louis right in the middle of their high school hallway. Louis was dropped to the ground, and he gripped his side, wheezing as he tried to get his breath back. Teachers seemed to be descending from everywhere, probably thanks to Louis’ yells, and the chaos from before only increased tenfold.

Louis’ only concern, even with the throbbing pain he felt coming from his hand and ribs and stomach, was Marcel. He looked everywhere, but there were too many bodies to find him.

“Louis. Louis, are you okay?”

Louis finally focused on the sound of someone calling his name, and when he turned he saw his favorite English teacher, Mr. Maite, kneeling beside him.

“Shit, you took a beating. Come on, let’s get you to the nurse and then we’ll take you to Mr. Stolley’s office to get this all straightened out.”

“You shouldn’t cuss at school, Mr. Maite,” Louis reminded him. Not that Mr. Maite cared about rules like that. He cursed like a sailor in the classroom, which was one of the reasons the students loved him so much. That and he was basically a modern day hippie, teaching with his shoes off and hair pulled back in a ponytail at the base of his neck. Louis knew that, but with the weight of what he’d just done - physically assaulting another student at school, oh God - crashing down on him, that was all he could focus on.

“Shut up, Tomlinson. Let’s get you to the nurse.”

As Mr. Maite helped Louis off his knees, Louis finally noticed the rest of the students that had been a part of the whole thing were gone, including Marcel. There were still some onlookers that Mr. Maite and other teachers tried to wave to class as the second bell rang, but Louis sent up a silent plea that Marcel would be okay until Louis could get to him.

 

///

 

Louis sat in an uncomfortable chair situated right outside Mr. Stolley’s office and fiddled with the gauze Ms. Driskoll had wrapped his hand with. She didn’t think anything was broken, but Louis was going to have to get some X-Rays done to be sure. Awesome.

The door across from him opened, and all four of the douchebags that had surrounded Marcel left the office. With a sigh, Mr. Stolley called Louis in. 

Louis had never been in trouble like this before. A detention here or there for being late to class or occasionally skipping, sure, but he’d never been in the principal’s office. He wasn’t proud of it, but he was shaking a little as he stood and walked in.

“Close the door, please, Mr. Tomlinson.”

Why did adults always call kids by their last name when they were in trouble? It was like they thought they were putting the kids on an even playing field by leveling them with the same title they had to use for the adults, but it never worked. It always came off as condescending and made Louis feel worse.

Louis turned around after closing the door, finally taking note of the rest of the room, and his jaw dropped when he saw Marcel sitting there, looking just as perfect as he always did outside of the red rimmed eyes.

“Oh my God,” Louis said as he rushed the few steps to the seat beside Marcel. Louis grabbed Marcel’s shoulder and did a more thorough search to be sure not even a pleat was out of place on his body or outfit. “They didn’t touch you, did they?”

Marcel gave a watery smile, his tears looking like they were about to fall, as he shook his head. “No, they just got you.”

Louis let out a sigh of relief and threw himself back in his chair, which caused a sharp pain to shoot up his side and through his shoulder. Louis hissed and shifted his position to hopefully ease the strength of the pain, and Mr. Stolley decided that was the time to start talking again.

“Louis, I think we’ve already got a good idea of what happened, thanks to Marcel and the reports of the others, but I’d like to hear your side of things.”

Louis looked at Marcel, who just gave a weak smile and nodded.

“You’re sure?” Louis asked quietly. Marcel had been so against telling anyone about what was happening, Louis wanted to be absolutely positive Marcel was okay with it happening now.

“He basically already knows.”

Louis pursed his lips and turned to Mr. Stolley. Before recounting the day’s events, Louis made sure to explain that this was not the first time Marcel had been attacked in this way and gave a brief summary of what Marcel had told him in the past. 

Once Louis finished with his account, Mr. Stolley turned to Marcel. “I am sorry that this has gone on so long without resolution, Marcel. I wish I could promise this won’t happen again, but I can’t assure you of that. What I can say is I will work to remedy this as best as I am able. Okay?”

Marcel nodded and shifted a bit in his seat.

“Now, Louis.” Mr. Stolley made a show of leaning back in his seat and crossing his legs. “I am sorry for this, because I know you were acting out of protection for your friend, but you punched another student and that is absolutely against the school handbook. I have to stand by the punishment regulations we hold, which is a three day suspension. I was sure to look at your attendance record, and it shouldn’t cause any issues with regards to your graduation, okay?”

Louis nodded. It could have been far worse. He’d had images of summer school running through his head so he could still receive his diploma, so at least it wasn’t going that far.

Mr. Stolley released them, Louis to his mother who would be coming to the school to drive him to the doctor, and Marcel to go back to class. After the door to Mr. Stolley’s office closed, Marcel spun around and wrapped Louis in a tight hug that hurt Louis’ side, but he didn’t care. He did his best to hold back a squeak in pain, and tried to play off what escaped as only being surprise.

“Thank you, Lou,” Marcel whispered. “You shouldn’t have punched them, but thank you. No one has ever stood up for me, especially not like that.”

Louis had tears of his own in his eyes, not only because of the pain. Marcel was everything good in this world personified. He didn’t deserve this kind of treatment.

“You’re welcome. I just did what any friend would do.”

Marcel pulled back and shook his head. “No. You didn’t. But I know you don’t see it that way.”

Louis gave him a soft smile and nudged him towards the door. “You’re gonna be late to World History if you don’t leave now.”

Marcel gave one last thankful smile, and shuffled off. Louis let out a pained whimper, and did his best to find a position with his bookbag that didn’t hurt quite so bad. Honestly, the pain was the least of his worries at the moment. In just a few minutes he’d have to face his mom.

 

///

 

Louis blew air out of his mouth to keep from cursing with his mom in the room as the doctor moved his hand back and forth, assessing his range of motion.

Jay chuckled a little and when Louis glared at her, she only arched a brow. Her facial expression clearly read  _ It’s your own damn fault, _ and Louis couldn’t disagree, but it didn’t mean he was happy about it.

“We’ll need to make sure this first knuckle isn’t broken. It’s too swollen to fully tell, and really we might not get a clear picture with the X-Ray either because of that, but I think we should try. I think your ribs are only bruised, but just to be sure there aren’t any fractures, we’ll take care of that as well. I’ll send in the technician.”

“Thank you, Dr. Ribensky,” Jay said. Once the doctor was out of the room, Jay turned her smile at Louis.

“God, Mom. Why are you actually rubbing this in, right now? Shouldn’t you be telling me off or giving me my punishment or something?”

“Not yet, I still want to know who the boy is that got you to punch someone for the first time since your little league baseball game.”

Louis groaned. Jay loved to bring that up. Louis wasn’t often prone to violence, but she used that instance as a constant example of how protective he could be about his family. One of his own teammates had made fun of how Lottie was limping after a fall, and Louis had thrown the best punch his nine year old self could muster right there in the middle of the game. It got him thrown off the team, but he never did regret it.

“No, really. I know it’s the same Marcel you’ve been chatting with so often, and didn’t you two go on a date last weekend when I came home early?”

Louis’ eyes widened and he looked at his mom in surprise. “That wasn’t a date!”

Jay smirked. “Honey, you paid for his movie ticket and drove him there and back. It was a romantic comedy, and just the two of you. Whether you intended it to be or not, I believe it was a date.”

Louis cleared his throat as he realized what she said was possibly true, but decided to ignore it. “Anyway, Marcel is just someone I started hanging out with around the same time I dropped the team. He and I both are kinda stressed about some things and we just get along well. So yeah.”

“That’s not the full story, and you know it, young man.”

Louis opened his mouth to argue back, but the X-Ray technician came in to take Louis for his X-Rays. Once Louis’ body had been put into as many uncomfortable positions as they required, he returned to the room and picked up their conversation where it left off.

“Listen,” Louis said as he sat back down on the weird crinkly paper on the examination table. “Marcel is just...he’s different. Okay? He’s not afraid to be excited about stuff other people think is stupid or nerdy and he doesn’t care how he dresses as long as he feels good. He’s a good guy and I like how I feel when I’m around him.”

Louis’ heart did a weird jump as his mom’s face softened and her eyes lit up. “He sounds like a pretty special guy.”

Louis shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, I guess.”

“That doesn’t mean you aren’t grounded.”

Louis groaned and hung his head. “Yeah. I know.”

 

///

 

“Marce, come on. I already talked to Niall and Zayn and they said they’re totally willing to do it and some of the other guys, like Zach and Tom, are willing to as well. Just let them, please?”

Louis was begging as he paced his bedroom Sunday night. All the girls were in bed, ready for their school day tomorrow as Louis made plans for the three days he wasn’t allowed on school property. His phone was part of his punishment, but since they didn’t have a landline, Jay let him use his cell while she was working and Louis was taking full advantage.

“Lou,” Marcel said with a sigh. 

Louis could practically see the face he was making right now. Louis knew he probably had his eyes closed, wrinkles on his forehead and his glasses pushed up as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose. Louis also knew Marcel looked completely adorable, but Louis pushed that to the side to think about later. 

“I still think this is unnecessary for you to do, much less your other friends.”

“They’re your friends too, you know?” Louis said softly. “I know you don’t think of them like that, but they care about you too. They were all really worried about you on Friday.”

“Yeah. Well.”

Louis smiled a little when Marcel didn’t say anything else, and he knew Marcel was likely blushing. “Marce, come on. I’m just really worried that no matter what Mr. Stolley said, some of those guys will be looking for retaliation and I won’t be there. Please let Niall and the others do this.” Louis took a deep breath and took a chance when he softly said, “Please? For me?”

Louis wrapped his free arm around his torso as he bit his lip and bounced on the balls of his feet. Marcel was silent and Louis slowly began to lose hope that Marcel still wouldn’t agree, even just to soothe Louis’ fears.

“Fine,” Marcel said softly. “But only if it will actually help you not worry.”

Louis let out the breath he’d unintentionally been holding and punched the air in excitement. “It will absolutely help me, Marce. One hundred percent.”

“The things I do for you,” Marcel said, fondly.

Louis chuckled. “Yeah, well. That’s what happens when you have friends. We look out for each other.”

 

///

 

The grounding only lasted as long as his suspension, mostly because Jay needed Louis to be able to drive the girls around when she was working again. It was too difficult to shift their schedules any more than they already had been, and the easiest way for them to communicate was his phone. Overall, the punishment was far more lenient than he expected, and he was pleased.

The last few weeks of school flew by, thankfully without any further incident, and soon Louis had graduated. He could hardly believe it. He’d also heard back from the local community college, and he’d been accepted to begin the courses towards a general associate’s degree in the fall. It turned out Zayn would be attending there as well, so despite the fact most of their other friends were leaving to attend schools as far away from home as possible, Louis was able to avoid feeling completely left behind knowing Zayn would stick around too.

His summer became busier than the spring had been, even if it was less stressful. It meant Louis was a full time chauffeur for his sisters as his mom picked up as many shifts as possible. When he added in the increased hours at the theater, it left even less time for Louis to hang out with his friends.

Most of his friends were busy getting ready for college, but a few were sticking around. Niall was only just going to be a senior and Zayn was planning to continue living at home, so they always made it a point to stop by the theater to see Louis once a week while everyone else was busy. 

That was great, but Marcel’s schedule was pretty full with a summer internship he’d taken at the Zoo about an hour away. If Louis was honest, Marcel was who he missed the most, but he tried not to think about it. Mostly because if he did, he’d have to question why.

One night, though, Louis and Marcel were hanging out on one of the only nights Louis had free that week. His sisters were at their dad’s house for a couple of weeks, so the nights he had off of work were finally his own.

“Hey, you know how I told you about the kid who moved in next door?” Marcel asked as they sipped on icees from the 7-11. 

Louis paused drinking and winced as he got a brief brain freeze. He really needed to slow down, but it was so hot outside, he was afraid he’d just be drinking sugar water if he left it too long.

“Uhh, I think I remember you mentioning a moving truck, yeah.”

Marcel pushed his classes up his nose after he nodded enthusiastically and began to sip on his cherry icee again. “Well, turns out the family that moved in has a kid about our age. His name is Leeroy, like I think I told you a few days ago. Anyway, he’s such a great guy! Oh my goodness, Lou, he’s so funny. He loves to dance and wants to be a choreographer and he has such a unique sense of style. I’m so glad he’s a senior so I feel like I have a friend with me, even though you’ll be gone. Well, Leeroy and Niall, of course.”

Marcel continued talking about Leeroy, and it got Louis thinking. How did Marcel know so much about Leeroy when the guy had only moved in a week or two ago? Louis knew he and Marcel hadn’t gotten to see each other much, but they were still texting as often as they could and while Leeroy had been mentioned, for the most part their conversations had been about Marcel’s internship or the shows his grandparents fell asleep watching every night.

“Did you hear me, Lou? I said you might get to meet him in a couple weeks. I was going to bring him to see the new movie you were telling me about, but it turns out he’s going to a dance camp. Can you believe? I never even knew they had things like that.”

Louis gave a weak smile and tried to focus on Marcel’s words, but he couldn’t. He felt like he was in a bit of a fog. What was going on? Louis was actually able to see Marcel and he should be enjoying his time with the guy who had quickly become his best friend, but he couldn’t enjoy it and he didn’t understand why.

Marcel leaned up against Louis’ shoulder and sighed. That was something Louis was still getting used to; the physical touches. Marcel had been such a tough egg to crack, but after Louis got back to school after his suspension, Marcel had become incredibly tactile. Louis didn’t mind, he was quite touchy-feely himself, but sometimes it still threw him off to have Marcel openly show physical affection. That, and it seemed like every time he did, Louis got goosebumps. 

This time was no exception. It had to be around a million degrees outside with the humidity as high as it was, but when Marcel leaned against Louis’ shoulder, goosebumps erupted across his arms and the little hairs stood on end. Louis prayed Marcel didn’t notice.

“Where’s your mind tonight, Lou?” Marcel asked before pulling back to smile at Louis. His dimples were like craters, and Louis was afraid he could get lost in them if he looked at them for too long. “You haven’t been this distracted in ages.”

“Sorry,” Louis apologized. “I’m just tired or something, I guess.”

Marcel tutted and pulled back into his seat to put his seatbelt on. Louis already missed his touch, and what was that supposed to mean? 

“You should have told me earlier! Let’s get back home, silly. You need to get to bed and rest while your sisters are gone and you can.”

Louis didn’t want to, not really. He liked having Marcel around, but maybe sleep was the best thing for him right now.

“Yeah, alright. I’m off tomorrow, though, and you don’t have your internship on Sundays, right?”

Marcel smiled and nodded. “Yeah, wanna get together tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Just you and me for the day. How’s that sound?”

Marcel looked like he was glowing, but maybe it was just the neon lights from the gas station they were still parked in front of. It probably was. Louis’ stupid brain was so confused about things he was imagining Marcel having an inner glow because Louis wanted them to have time together. Louis was obviously going insane.

They were quiet for the ride back to Marcel’s and, after a tight hug, Marcel walked into his house. Louis glanced at the house next door, the one that apparently Leeroy Payne lived in, and sighed. He needed to get his act together before he started thinking he was jealous of a wannabe choreographer he hadn’t even met.

 

///

 

Louis was definitely jealous of a wannabe choreographer he hadn’t even met. That last part was going to change tonight, but he’d come to terms with the fact he was jealous. Or he was trying to.

The thing that bothered Louis the most was there wasn’t reason to be jealous, right? It wasn’t like the guy was taking Marcel away from him during the times Marcel and Louis were actually able to hang out. If anything, Marcel said no to Leeroy in order to hang out with Louis. 

And yet, just hearing about the times they were able to hang out and the fun activities they were able to do together was enough to get Louis pouting and being ridiculously cruel to Leeroy in his head. Sure, he didn’t care so much about stream monitoring and bird watching wasn’t on his list of favorite summer experiences, but that was time that Leeroy was able to spend with Marcel and Louis wasn’t. 

Louis sighed as he pulled into the parking lot of the diner a group of them were meeting at. He was a little early, so he sat in his car with the air conditioning at full blast as he tried to figure out why. Why he wanted Marcel all to himself all the time. It had taken Niall begging for weeks before Louis finally agreed to give up his precious Thursday night with Marcel for a group activity instead. 

It wasn’t like Louis didn’t like Niall or Zayn. They were two of his very best friends and they had gotten close to Marcel over the last month or two of the school year. It was just that his time alone with Marcel was so rare it had become precious.

God, when had he become that guy? That possessive kind of douche who wanted to claim his friends as his own and not allow them time with others? He wasn’t usually like this, not unless he…

Louis stopped his leg from bouncing as a sudden realization spread through him. His heart started racing and he couldn’t control his breathing. 

He was only like this when he had a crush on someone.

“Oh my God,” Louis whined as he leaned his head forward and leaned it against his steering wheel. That was absolutely his problem. He never acted like this with Niall or Zayn or Logan or any of the other guys from the soccer team. Marcel had been different from the moment Louis had stumbled across him crying in Louis’ smoking spot at school.

A knock on the window jolted Louis enough he accidentally hit the horn, which only made him jump more. 

“Jesus,” he murmured before looking to see who had caught him like this. He was met with perfectly gelled hair, thick glasses, a dimpled smile, and a bow tie. Of course he was.

Louis took the keys out of the ignition and grabbed his phone before opening the door and climbing out. Louis felt nervous, like Marcel might somehow be able to tell that Louis liked him just by looking at him. It was absurd, Louis knew that, but tell that to the adrenaline spike he was currently riding.

“Hey, Marce,” Louis said before pulling him in for a hug. 

“Hey,” Marcel said before pulling back and studying Louis’ face with concern. “You okay?”

Louis gave as large a smile as he could and nodded. “Yeah, just remembered something I forgot to do for my mom. It’ll be fine, though.”

Marcel bounced on his toes a little. “Leeroy is waiting by the door. Come on, I can’t wait for him to meet you.”

Louis whined a little on the inside. It wasn’t like Leeroy was his competition or anything, but Leeroy was totally his competition. 

Marcel looped his arm through Louis’ and effectively dragged him towards the entrance of the Steak N Shake. Louis did his best to steel himself, but as soon as they got close enough for him to see the boy standing nervously by the door, Louis felt a small part of him relax. Not a lot, but a little bit of him felt a little more secure.

Leeroy had bleach blond hair that hung over his forehead despite the fact he was wearing a pink sweatband. He looked a little like he had walked out of Sweatin’ to the Oldies or something, actually. He was wearing a pullover like what Louis remembered seeing his mom wear when he was little, and...was he wearing workout leggings? Overall, he looked very kind, but not at all what Louis had been expecting.

What had Louis been expecting, he wasn’t sure. Most people wouldn’t look twice at Leeroy, but Marcel never was most people. He had a knack for seeing everything and everyone. It was one of the things Louis liked best about Marcel. Of course he would meet Leeroy and be able to look past his exterior better than Louis. 

Louis scolded himself. He didn’t want to be jealous, but it wasn’t like he could dismiss Leeroy just because he didn’t dress like everyone else. That kind of thing didn’t matter to Marcel, and therefore Leeroy could still be the object of Marcel’s affections.

“Leeroy, this is Louis.” 

Louis gave an awkward wave with his left hand since his right arm was still being held by Marcel. 

“Hey, man. Nice to meet you,” Louis said as naturally as he could. He didn’t feel all that relaxed, but he did like that Marcel hadn’t relinquished his hold on Louis’ arm yet. It helped Louis feel more anchored. “Marcel hasn’t been able to stop talking about you, so it’s great to finally put a face to the name.”

“You too,” Leeroy with a bright smile. 

Louis could already tell he was going to like Leeroy, whether he wanted to or not. The way he smiled with his whole face until his eyes were mere slits made Louis want to smile as well. So he did. 

“Seriously, though, I’m actually quite nervous to meet you,” Leeroy admitted. “He talked about you  _ so _ much. I told him no one could be as perfect as he made you sound, but he swore you are.”

Louis’ eyes widened and he turned to look at Marcel in surprise, but Marcel was staring at Leeroy like he’d been betrayed.

“Leeroy!” Marcel practically hissed, despite the fact he had a very forced smile still on his face. “I definitely did not do that.”

Leeroy considered Marcel, obviously confused. “Yes you did. Just fifteen minutes ago you-”

“I think I see Zayn and Niall inside already,” Marcel interrupted, and almost immediately Louis felt himself being dragged towards a table across the diner. Louis looked back to make sure Leeroy was following them, and he was. It was only then that Louis noticed that along with his shorts, Leeroy was wearing scrunchy socks and keds. Maybe the guy just really liked the nineties.

“Hey, we were wondering if you were ever gonna come inside,” Niall joked as they all sat down. 

“Niall, Zayn, this is Leeroy,” Marcel said as he scooted his chair closer to Louis. Louis looked at Marcel, a little confused, and Marcel just whispered, “I’m a little cold.”

Louis nodded and looked back down at the menu. He already knew what he was going to get, he got the same thing every time he went to Steak N Shake, but he wasn’t sure what else to do with himself. Marcel was cold, so he was sitting closer to Louis, but did it mean anything? Or was he just cold? Should Louis put his arm around Marcel? Louis hadn’t ever really been in this kind of a situation. He was out, in theory, but he’d never really met any other gay or bi guys that he was interested in dating.

Oh God. Did Marcel even like boys? They’d never really talked about it. Louis had made sure to slip it into conversation that he was gay, but Marcel had only smiled and told him that was great, never reciprocated with anything about his own preferences. Louis could absolutely be blowing all of this out of proportion and Marcel was truly only cold and sitting closer to Louis to try to warm up.

“Lou, you ready to order?” Marcel asked as he patted Louis’ thigh with his hand.

Shit. Marcel’s hand was on Louis’ thigh. Louis had automatically tensed up and he was trying to relax the muscles, but he couldn’t seem to get them to obey. Could Marcel tell he was tense? He could probably tell. Was that bad?

Louis looked at Marcel, but his green eyes were just watching Louis as he waited for a response.

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” Louis said before clearing his throat. He needed to calm down or the night was going to be a total disaster. “I’m ready if everyone else is.”

They took turns ordering and when it was his turn, he gave his usual order before sitting back and watching the rest of his friends at the table. Leeroy fit into the group perfectly. He and Zayn were already having their own conversation about the pros and cons of various heart rate monitors and Marcel and Niall were smiling and laughing about some inside joke they had. 

Louis smiled at all of them and was finally starting to relax when Marcel scooted even closer to Louis. 

“Cuddle me? I really am cold,” Marcel said with a little pout. He was also trying to look at Louis above his incredibly large glasses, which looked very awkward, but with his soft looking lips and his eyes both being used as weapons, there was no way Louis could resist. 

“Sure,” Louis squeaked out with a smile. He wrapped his arm around Marcel’s shoulder, and Marcel did some magical thing where he hunched down a little so he fit perfectly into Louis’ side.

How did that happen? They were basically the same height, but it really was like they worked perfectly when cuddling like this. Louis tried to keep his hand from all out caressing Marcel’s shoulder, but he wasn’t sure it worked very well. His mind started wandering, thinking about how they could cuddle like this while watching one of the shows Marcel was always telling Louis about that were on the Discovery Channel, or how maybe, if they were ever to lay down and cuddle that way, that Louis could possibly be the big spoon. 

Louis shook his head and reminded himself of where he was. He was literally sitting with his best friends on a rare night they all were available during his last summer that he was truly a kid. To be fair, Louis hadn’t felt like a kid in a while now, especially after he gave up things like the soccer team and his preferred college of choice so he could work more and help his mom with his sisters, but still. Starting college, even if it was the local community college while living at home, was a new chapter in his life and he was feeling a little reminiscent. He needed to enjoy these nights while he could.

If only Marcel would stop moving so his knee kept touching Louis’. As if being able to smell Marcel’s fruity scented hair gel while he was tucked under Louis’ arm wasn’t enough of a system overload, their knees kept colliding and causing shivers to ripple across his skin. By the time their food arrived, Louis was more than ready for it, because it gave him an excuse to get some distance between him and Marcel and try to think clearly.

The rest of the night was a continuation of the same. Marcel was no longer tucked under Louis’ arm, but he continued to lean against Louis, and Louis couldn’t help but lean back as well. Marcel drew him in and made Louis always want to be closer. It had been that way since they’d met, Louis just hadn’t recognized it for what it was until tonight.

Louis was an idiot. He really should have seen this sooner.

When they all finally parted, Marcel gave Louis a hug goodbye, like he usually did, but Louis broke it first this time. He usually let it go on as long as Marcel needed, but he couldn’t do that tonight. He needed to get home and think.

Louis waved a half-hearted goodbye to the other guys, hopped in his car, and sped home.

 

///

 

Louis couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but it felt like things with Marcel changed after that night at Steak N Shake. He still talked incessantly about Leeroy and how happy he was that he fit in so well with their group, but it felt different. 

It could just be that Louis was aware of his feelings for Marcel now and that accounted for the change, but it didn’t seem like it. Marcel was making more effort to see Louis and not just talk to him, and Louis had to admit it felt good. July slowly bled into August, and the new routine was on nights Louis was babysitting his sisters, Marcel would join him after his internship ended.

At first it felt fairly nerve wracking. Louis had been to Marcel’s house and met his grandparents, but Marcel had never been to Louis’. Louis’ house was louder, busier, and much more intimidating than Marcel’s. Louis hadn’t been sure how he would handle it all, but from the moment Marcel came in, Louis’ sisters swarmed him and led him to the den and Marcel didn’t stop smiling the entire time he was there.

“Lou, you spaced out again,” Marcel said, pulling Louis back to the present. 

Louis looked at his friend in apology, but Marcel was softly smiling at him, dimples fully on display.

“If you’re too tired for this tonight, I can let you be.”

Louis tightened his arm around Marcel’s shoulders. That was another thing that had changed. They definitely cuddled every chance they could. Because of that, the girls had started calling Marcel Louis’ boyfriend, and Louis didn’t have the heart to correct them.

“No, please stay.” Louis didn’t want Marcel to leave just because Louis’ mind was drifting elsewhere. “Sorry, I’ll try to pay better attention.”

Marcel sat up and pulled away from Louis, making Louis worry he was going to leave anyway. Before Louis could reach out for Marcel’s arm, though, Marcel turned to him with a concerned glance.

“We only ever do what I want to do. We should do something you want to do.”

Louis laughed. “Marce, you come to my house twice a week so we can hang out at all and help me babysit my sisters. As repayment, I think it’s only fair that we do what you want to after the girls are in bed or as they do their own thing.”

Marcel pursed his lips. “No, it’s still not fair. Come on, do you want to watch Supernatural or something?”

“I am not making us watch a scary ass show that will definitely leave you with nightmares,” Louis said. “What if we watch Iron Man instead.”

Marcel rolled his eyes but leaned back into Louis’ body again. “You’re just saying that because it’s something both of us like.”

“Well that seems like a good compromise, doesn’t it?”

“Good thing Leeroy isn’t here. He’d insist we watch the Batman trilogy again. It’s good, but I’ve already watched Batman Begins three times with him, Lou.”

Louis tried not to clench his jaw at the mention of Leeroy again, but he couldn’t help it. Marcel might be hanging out with Louis more than before and allowing Louis to cuddle him, but he still wouldn’t stop talking about the kid who lived next door to him. It left Louis feeling rather conflicted, if he was being honest.

“Marcel?”

Lottie’s voice traveled from where she was obviously running down the stairs with another one of Louis’ sisters at her heels. They might just be pre-teen girls, but they could sound like a herd of elephants when they wanted.

“In the den!” Marcel yelled back as he sat up and out of Louis’ arms for the second time in ten minutes. 

Louis rolled his eyes and went over to the DVD player to get the movie set up. His sisters never wanted him when Marcel was around, probably because even though Louis did the best he could to be a good brother to them, he was still their brother and acted that way. Marcel was like the favorite cousin or uncle who would spoil them rotten if given the chance.

“Marcel, Fizzy and I just had the best idea,” Lottie said, breathless with excitement.

Louis pushed the DVD in and turned, still on his knees in front of the TV. “What exactly do you guys have planned?” 

The two girls were bouncing in excitement, their eyes practically glowing. “We would like to give you a makeover!” Lottie squealed.

Louis’ jaw dropped. “What?! No! Girls, why would you want to do that? Marcel looks great as he is, he doesn’t need a makeover.”

Lottie stuck out her lower lip and Fizzy just rolled her eyes. 

“Oh shut up, Lou,” Fizzy snipped. “We aren’t wanting to do it to change how he looks. You totally rock the nerd-chic look, Marcel.”

“Yeah, we just want practice doing hair and natural looking makeup,” Lottie explained. “If I’m going to have a chance at actually becoming a makeup guru like I want to, I have to practice my skills. I can only get so far when I’m practicing on my family members, because we all have similar face shapes and eyes. You, though, are very different and will give me an entirely new palate to work with. And your hair!”

Lottie actually sighed with a hand over her heart thinking about getting her hands on Marcel’s hair. Louis felt like he had fallen into some horrible teen rom-com. That being said, horrible teen rom-coms were just up Marcel’s alley, and as Louis peeked over at Marcel to see his reaction to it all, he looked nervous but excited.

“When did you want to do it?” he asked slowly.

“Tonight!” the girls squealed in unison. 

Louis sighed and hung his head. “Marce, you really don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

Marcel looked at Louis with a soft smile and shrugged his shoulders before turning to the girls and staring them down. Lottie and Fizzy stood up straight, pleading looks and prayer hands in position.

“You’ll be gentle with me? My scalp is quite sensitive.”

“Oh my God! Oh my God!” Lottie said as she ran forward and hugged Marcel tightly, Fizzy not far behind. 

“Thank you! This is going to be  _ so _ much fun.”

Marcel looked at Louis, eyes wide but smile in place, and said, “Hmm, it better be.”

 

///

 

Louis paced the floor in front of the room Lottie and Fizzy shared. There were near constant giggles coming from the room, some of which belonged to Marcel, interspersed with direction given from Lottie or Fizzy as they did...whatever they were doing.

Louis wasn’t nervous for Marcel, not really. But he was worried about what the girls were subjecting him to. It had started with them washing his hair out in the kitchen sink and then going to Louis’ room to choose clothes for Marcel to “model”. All in all, it seemed like a lot more than just letting them do Marcel’s hair and a little makeup.

“Lou? Are you still out there?” Fizzy asked through the door.

“Duh,” Louis said before rushing forward. “I’m not going far away when you could be doing anything to him. I’m supposed to return him home unharmed, you know.”

“Shut up,” Lottie called before cracking open the door. “We need you to go downstairs, though. We want Marcel to be able to see himself in the full length mirror first and then he can show off for you.”

Louis heard Marcel squeak out a protest from the room, but he couldn’t make out what was said.

“Marce? You okay with this plan?”

Lottie turned her head and there was only silence. 

“It’s okay if you aren’t,” Lottie said. “We won’t make you do anything. Well, anything more than we already did.”

Louis rolled his eyes at his sisters. They were a force to be reckoned with, but they really did mean well.

“Yeah, it’s okay,” Marcel said quietly. Louis could tell it was his nervous voice, but he hoped it was just because he was out of his comfort zone with the clothes and hair.

“Alright,” Louis conceded. “I’ll be in the den whenever you guys are ready for your dramatic reveal.”

Louis slowly went down the stairs and could hear the girls open their door. Louis sighed to himself. He was glad Phoebe and Daisy had a sleepover tonight. He could only imagine how much worse this could have been with them added to the mix.

It felt like hours but was really only ten minutes when Lottie and Fizzy came to the entrance of the den.

“We would like to present to you, Marcel “Harry” Styles!”

Louis stood, confused at the nickname they’d given Marcel, until Marcel was standing between them. Then all thought process ceased.

Marcel’s hair was down and softly curling around his ears and across his forehead. He wasn’t wearing his glasses, and the highlighter or eye shadow or whatever makeup they used on him made his cheekbones and green eyes definitely pop without looking heavy or caked on. Louis let his eyes keep scanning, and Marcel nervously played with the hem of Louis’ shirt.

It was a plain white scoop neck shirt that was snug on Louis. It clung to Marcel’s shoulders, but fit perfectly otherwise. He also wore a pair of blue jeans that sagged a little.

Louis took a breath in and tried to make sense of what he was seeing and the effect it was having on him. When he was younger, he used to always be impressed by the guys who would go around dressed in nothing but sweatpants and t-shirts but as soon as they put on a suit, Louis found them five million times more attractive. He’d always assumed it was because he liked a guy in a suit, and he really did, but now he wondered if it was just because he was finally seeing them in something outside of the norm.

Because Marcel was attractive. He was cute and had stunning eyes and incredible dimples and when he allowed people to see him with less than seventy layers, Louis knew he had a nice body beneath all the clothes as well. But dressed like this, it was like it accented everything Louis already liked about him.

By the time Louis was finally able to look up at Marcel again, Marcel’s cheeks had turned pink and he couldn’t make eye contact with Louis anymore. 

“I can’t really see you without my glasses, Lou. Can you please say something?”

“You’re beautiful,” Louis spit out. “Not that you aren’t usually, because you are. But, like. Wow.”

“Here’s your glasses, Marcel. Thanks for letting us do this,” Lottie said kindly as she handed him his glasses. It was only then that Louis even realized Fizzy had already left and Lottie was leaving as well.

Louis tried to pull his brain back together. He was still shocked that Marcel - the boy he found crying due to bullies just last spring, the boy who had quickly become his best friend and had him longing to be more - was the person standing in front of him. 

It was then that Louis took in how Marcel was standing. He had his arms wrapped around his midsection, his shoulders hunched, and he was biting his lip.

“Hey,” Louis said softly, finally walking up to Marcel and grabbing his bicep. Louis wasn’t used to meeting skin there, and Marcel wasn’t used to feeling Louis’ hand on his skin either, apparently, because he jumped a little before giving an annoyed huff. “You aren’t comfortable like this, are you?”

Marcel shook his head. “Your clothes look great on you and I know they fit alright, but I don’t feel good like this.”

Louis nodded, understanding. “Come on up to my room. Is that where the girls let you change?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Let’s get you back in your own clothes. Will you be alright with your hair like this?”

Marcel smiled, already relaxing his stance just thinking about getting back in his khakis and button up. “Yeah. I like it. Prefer my usual way, but this is good too.”

“You look good like this, Marce, but I like it better when you’re relaxed and feeling like yourself,” Louis said as he walked to his room. As promised, Marcel’s clothes were sitting on Louis’ bed, ready to be put back on.

“Me too.”

 

///

 

Louis was more than ready for school to start. Once it did he was going to be able to quit working at the movie theater in town and start his work-study on campus. Just two more weeks. He could definitely do this.

Waving goodbye to the few lone workers still there to close up after all the movies were done for the night, Louis got a whiff of the greasy buttery scent that clung to him and his clothes after a long shift. God, he wasn’t sure he could ever eat popcorn again after this job. The scent clung to his clothes, even after multiple washes. It was like it had become part of the fabric. For all he knew, maybe it had.

He pulled his keys and phone out of his pants pocket, glad the Coke that had spilled down his front and still hadn’t fully dried didn’t seem to get to them. He hadn’t thought to check earlier, considering they were in the middle of their Friday night rush, but they seemed fine.

Louis’ blood ran cold, though, when he saw an entire slew of texts waiting to be read from Marcel. That in itself wasn’t really strange, Marcel would blow up his phone at random times if he found something interesting, but these messages were filled with typos and half of them didn’t make any sense. Louis had never seen Marcel text like that before and fear hit him that something was very wrong.

_ Louis: Marcel, what are you trying to say? _ _  
_ _ Louis: I can’t understand anything you sent me. Is everything okay? _

Louis opened the trunk of his car, ready to pull off his work shirt and put on the extra he kept for emergencies until he could get home and shower, but found only an empty grocery bag. Shit. He’d forgotten he had let Niall borrow it last week after he got caught in a rainstorm and hadn’t gotten it back yet.

Right as Louis was closing the trunk, his phone lit up. He snatched it up, but it was just a notification that someone had liked his status on Facebook. Louis got back into his texting conversation with Marcel to see he hadn’t read the messages yet. 

Louis got into his car and called Marcel. Maybe he didn’t notice the texts come in, but he would be far more likely to see a call.

Louis buckled his seatbelt and when the phone finally connected, it went straight to Marcel’s voicemail.

“Hi there! You’ve reached Marcel Styles-”

“Dammit,” Louis muttered as he ended the call. He turned on the car and knew that, despite the late hour and the fact that Marcel’s grandparents were likely asleep, Louis would never be able to rest thinking there could possibly be something wrong with Marcel. He had to at least try his house.

Louis drove, the adrenaline coursing through him with the worry that Marcel was in real trouble or seriously hurt or any number of horrible scenarios making it incredibly difficult for him to not speed too far over the limit, and got to Marcel’s house in record time. Louis barely had the car in park in the driveway before he was cutting the engine and rushing up to the door.

Still trying to be courteous to his grandparents, should all somehow be alright, Louis began knocking softly but repeatedly at the front door. He didn’t give up and kept going until finally he heard footsteps approaching. Louis pulled back and folded his arms in an attempt to steady himself and explain why he was there at such a late hour in case it was Marcel’s grandma or grandpa.

The door opened slowly and showed Marcel, completely disheveled. His eyes were red and puffy, his hair sticking up everywhere, and his shirt was untucked with a pair of sweatpants that Louis hadn’t even known Marcel owned until now. When Marcel saw it was Louis, he crumpled a little more and began crying even harder.

Louis couldn’t keep himself away. He rushed up to Marcel and wrapped him in his arms, despite the fact he was still in his work uniform and felt, much less smelled, disgusting. None of that mattered when something was obviously so incredibly wrong.

They slowly made their way inside, even with Marcel clinging to Louis with all of his strength, and Louis eventually was able to close the door then lead them to a couch where they could sit down.

“Marce, it’s okay. What’s wrong? You’re seriously worrying me,” Louis whispered as calmly as he could. He also tried to soothe the boy with soft strokes on his back and petting his hair where the gel had begun to fail him. If Louis wasn’t so worried, he would be completely endeared at seeing Marcel anything but perfectly put together.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Marcel cried loud enough Louis was worried he really would wake up his grandparents. He hiccuped a bit as Louis shushed him and reminded him how late it was. “Sorry. Nothing’s wrong, Lou. Everything is so right! It’s beautiful! How could you think that anything could be wrong?”

Louis studied Marcel a little closer. Yes, he was crying still, but his eyes looked bright and happy, and he was definitely smiling. Louis had no idea what that meant.

Blinking a little and shaking his head, Louis pulled out his phone and opened their text window. “I’m going to need you to explain this to me, Marce. I got out of a really awful shift to a ton of texts from you that I couldn’t read and your phone went right to voicemail. When I get here, you’re crying. Like…” Louis handed Marcel his phone and fell back against the couch. “I have no idea what caused any of this and am really confused right now.”

Marcel started giggling as he read the texts and wiped his nose with a handkerchief. “Okay, yeah,” Marcel said before erupting in laughter again. “I don’t blame you for not understanding that. I was just so excited and then I dropped my phone and it wouldn’t power back on. My grandpa is taking me to the phone store tomorrow to get it fixed.”

Louis widened his eyes and reached out for Marcel’s shoulders and shook him gently. “Marcel! For the love of all that is holy, will you  _ please _ just tell me what is going on so I can stop feeling like I’m losing my mind?”

Marcel stopped his giggling and tried to school his face, but Louis could still see the ghost of his dimples. He never was one for holding back a smile when he was excited about something. 

“Louis. I found out that Leeroy and Zayn are officially dating.”

Louis left his hands on Marcel’s shoulders and kept watching him to see if he’d start laughing and yell “Psych!” or something, but that didn’t happen. Marcel just smiled serenely at Louis and waited for it to process.

“Oh my God, you’re serious?”

Marcel nodded his head and broke out in his blindingly massive grin again. “Yes. I’m serious, Lou. They’ve been dating for awhile, I guess, but didn’t want to tell anyone until now. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“Shit, Marcel. I thought it was something horrible! I thought I was going to lose you before I ever told you how I felt or figured out if it was mutual or something!” Louis threw himself back onto the couch and began laughing semi-hysterically as he rubbed at his face. His heart was still pounding erratically and he could feel the haywire energy coursing his veins as his body tried to get with the program that there wasn’t anything dangerous at hand. “I was so fucking scared,” Louis said through his laughter.

Louis finally started quieting down, but he realized Marcel was silent and not laughing with him. Louis lifted his head off the couch and tried to see Marcel’s face. His eyes were wide and he looked like he wasn’t breathing.

“You alright, Marce?”

Marcel visibly swallowed and then asked quietly, “How do you feel about me?”

Louis’ brain short circuited as he ran through what he’d said in his relief and realized he’d given himself away.

“Oh. I, uhm…” Louis sat up again and could see something in Marcel’s eyes...was it...hope? “I maybe kinda like you? As more than just a friend?”

“You  _ maybe _ do, hm?” Marcel said, small smile on his face as he looked down at his own knees.

Louis took in a deep breath and tried again. “Okay, I do. Like you like that.”

Marcel stayed quiet, and Louis could hardly hear above how loud his heart was pounding in his ears. He held his hand to his chest in the hopes that would help it calm down, but it didn’t do anything. Somehow he was able to hear Marcel when he started talking again.

“You know, I knew Leeroy was interested in Zayn from the first night they met.” Marcel looked at Louis, his dimples even deeper than Louis thought they could go. “He was so smitten. He reminded me a lot of myself with you, actually.”

Louis choked on his own spit a little, thanks to the gasp of surprise that forced its way out at the admission.

Marcel rubbed Louis’ back as he looked him in the eyes and said, “Oh come on. You had to have known.”

Louis shook his head as emphatically as he could because he really, truly did not have a clue. If he had, he could have been spared a lot of frustration and heartbreak over the last several months.

Marcel rolled his eyes and said, “Yeah. Well, I thought it was never gonna happen. Not for me, and probably not for Leeroy. Didn’t mean I wasn’t sitting here wishing it would, though. So when I heard the news from Leeroy earlier, I just lost it. I think it gave me the hope I’d never allowed myself to have before.”

“Hope?” Louis whispered.

“Hope that maybe you liked me too.”

Louis lunged forward and pulled Marcel into a hug that toppled them over onto the cushions his grandma had probably embroidered herself. They laid there, laughing in what was probably a mixture of giddiness and the profound relief that they’d put themselves on the line to learn they were safe with the other, for what felt like hours until Louis finally pushed himself up onto his elbows. With one hand he reached over and allowed his fingers to finally comb their way through the frizzy parts he’d wanted to since he had arrived.

“Marcel?” Louis asked, the butterflies taking root as he built up the courage to ask what he’d wanted to ever since that day in the Steak N Shake parking lot. He snuck a look at Marcel’s lips before looking back up at his green eyes. “Can I kiss you?”

Marcel nodded nervously but said quickly, “I’ve never done this before, so don’t expect anything special.”

Louis leaned his forehead against Marcel’s cheek as he laughed quietly before pressing a soft kiss to his jawline. “Marce, don’t even worry. Even if it sucks, it’ll be special because it’s with you.”

Marcel hit Louis’ bicep as he squawked. “How very dare you!”

Before they could devolve any further, Louis leaned in and snuck in their first kiss. It was short and dry and chaste and perfectly average, just as a first kiss should be.

“See?” Louis said. “I knew it wouldn’t suck and it was still special.”

Marcel stared at Louis, obviously unimpressed. “Is that all you have for me, Tomlinson? I honestly expected more.”

Louis’ jaw dropped in surprise. “Oh look at you!” he said in mock outrage. “I’m not sure you deserve anymore of my kisses. I mean, geez.”

Marcel shook his head, happy smile in place, before he reached up and placed his hand behind Louis’ neck to guide him back towards Marcel’s mouth.

“You’re already better than you think,” Louis muttered just before their lips met again. 

They kissed, a little longer this time so they could enjoy the feeling of the gentle pressure that joined their lips together, until Marcel suddenly pushed against Louis’ shoulders and separated them again.

“That was totally Jude Law’s line when he and Cameron Diaz have sex the first time in the Holiday, wasn’t it?”

“Oh my God, Marcel. Can you just let us enjoy this? Or should I go home and we can try again tomorrow?”

Marcel brightened up visibly at that. “We’re gonna be able to kiss some more tomorrow?”

Louis leaned in a gave him another soft peck before he remembered the disgusting post-work state he was in. “Yeah. And actually I think we should probably wait to continue until tomorrow anyway. I’m disgusting.”

Marcel smiled wider before saying, “Yeah, but you’re mine.”

Louis sighed and nodded. “Yeah. I am.”

 

///

 

Louis waved goodbye at his teammates as he picked up his duffel and began to walk back to his apartment just off campus. It had been almost a year that he’d been at State, and he loved it so far. It was bigger than the community college he had worked his ass off at for his associates and the classes were definitely harder, but he was also working on a degree he cared about now, and that made a huge difference for him.

He shifted the duffel that held all of his soccer gear a little so it didn’t dig into his shoulder as much before crossing the street and heading up to his apartment building. As he opened the door to the fairly run down building he called home, he heard his phone ping with a text.

Shuffling his way across the entryway, Louis hit the button for the elevator and pulled his phone out of his bag. There wasn’t any text attached, just a photo of what had to be Zayn’s hand wearing a ring on a very important finger.

Louis gasped and typed out an all caps congratulations just as the elevator reached his floor. Louis jogged down to his door and crashed through it, knowing Marcel would want to hear the news immediately.

“Marce!” Louis called as he dropped his bag and kicked off his shoes before continuing inside. Their apartment might be a little bit of a shithole, but it was theirs and Marcel was very particular about how they took care of it. Louis didn’t care as long as it meant Marcel was there with him. “I’ve got the greatest news!”

Louis turned the corner and saw Marcel rifling through some brand new wedding magazines. 

“You already know, don’t you?”

Marcel looked up at Louis and pushed at where his glasses used to sit. He had gotten lasik about a year ago, but had yet to get used to his glasses not being there anymore. 

“I might have helped Leeroy plan the proposal,” Marcel admitted before scooting some of the magazines to the coffee table so Louis could sit down as well. “And they might have asked for my help in planning the big day.”

Louis laughed as he sat down and planted a hello kiss on Marcel’s mouth before looking around. “Yeah, well, don’t you think that’s a little much on your plate? I mean, I would kind of like you to finish planning ours first.”

Marcel arched a sassy eyebrow just like Phoebe had taught him a few years ago. It still didn’t look quite natural, but Marcel did have a snarky side not many others got to see. Louis loved it when it came out. 

“Don’t you think I can plan both at the same time?”

Louis laughed before he leaned in for a deeper kiss. “As long as you walk down the right aisle, I think you can do anything you set your mind to. Now,” Louis said as he stood up and stretched. “I’m smelly and need a shower. I hear there’s just enough room for two in the one I was gonna use. Think there might be someone in this apartment willing to join me? Someone who has the title of fiance, perhaps?”

Marcel tossed the wedding magazines on the table before standing up and walking past Louis towards their bedroom. “I might know just the person.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading my fic! I hope you loved it like I do :) If you did, please leave kudos and a nice comment! I would very much appreciate it. You could also reblog my fic post for it, which you can find [here](http://lululawrence.tumblr.com/post/172577758128/hold-me-tight-and-dont-let-go-19k-by). Thank you!
> 
> Interested in helping support charities with fanfic? If you are, I could write a fic for you! Check out the info [here on Tumblr](https://1dfanworksforcharity.tumblr.com/post/174494969280/1d-fanworks-for-charity-auctions-for-lululawrence).


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